Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" has been named the best film of 2012 by the National Board of Review, adding a second award to go with the New York Film Critics Circle honor the gripping hunt-for-bin-Laden drama received on Monday.
The win gives the film a significant early shot of momentum in the awards race. Three years ago, Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" won the Oscar for Best Picture on the heels of a near-sweep through the critics' awards.
Also read: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Captures New York Critics Awards
Bigelow was also named Best Director for "ZD30," while the film's star, Jessica Chastain, was named Best Actress.
Bradley Cooper of "Silver Linings Playbook" was a surprise choice for Best Actor over Daniel Day-Lewis from "Lincoln."
The supporting awards went to Leonardo DiCaprio for "Django Unchained" and Ann Dowd for "Compliance."
The top 10 films included a couple of suprises, including "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Looper" in place of presumed locks "Life of Pi" and "The Master."
Those two films were shut out entirely. Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" was named to the list of the year's 10 best films, but it did not win any other awards, with Day-Lewis and supporting actress contender Sally Field losing to Cooper and Dowd and screenwriter Tony Kusher losing in the adapted screenplay category to David O. Russell for "Silver Linings Playbook."
Michael Haneke's "Amour" was named best foreign film, while "Wreck-It Ralph" was chosen best animated film over its higher-profile competitors "Brave" and "Rise of the Guardians."
"Searching for Sugar Man," the closest thing to a consensus favorite in a crowded year for documentaries, was named best doc.
The victory was not necessarily good news for the chances that "Zero Dark Thirty" will be named Best Picture at the 85th Academy Awards: In the last decade, the NBR and the Academy have only agreed twice, on "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2008 and "No Country for Old Men" in 2007. Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" won the NBR's award last year. Other recent winners include "The Social Network," "Up in the Air," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Finding Neverland" and "Good Night, and Good Luck." The National Board of Review is not made up of critics, but of "a select group of knowledgeable film enthusiasts and professionals, academics, young filmmakers and students" in the New York area. It owes its high profile in the awards picture to the fact that it has been picking the year's best films since 1930, and that it had typically been the first body to announce its awards until the New York Film Critics Circle moved up its announcement a couple of years ago. The NBR will hold its awards gala in New York City on Jan. 8, 2013.
Best Film: ZERO DARK THIRTY Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK Best Actress: Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY Best Supporting Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, DJANGO UNCHAINED Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd, COMPLIANCE Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson, LOOPER Best Adapted Screenplay: David O Russell, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK Best Animated Feature: WRECK-IT RALPH Special Achievement in Filmmaking: Ben Affleck, ARGO Breakthrough Actor: Tom Holland, THE IMPOSSIBLE Breakthrough Actress: Quvenzhané Wallis, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Best Directorial Debut: Benh Zeitlin, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Best Foreign Language Film: AMOUR Best Documentary: SEARCHING FOR SUGARMAN William K Everson Film History Award: 50 YEARS OF BOND FILMS Best Ensemble: LES MISÉRABLES Spotlight Award: John Goodman (ARGO, FLIGHT, PARANORMAN, TROUBLE WITH THE CURVE) NBR Freedom of Expression Award: CENTRAL PARK FIVE NBR Freedom of Expression Award: PROMISED LAND Top Films (in alphabetical order) ARGO BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD DJANGO UNCHAINED LES MISÉRABLES LINCOLN LOOPER THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER PROMISED LAND SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK Top 5 Foreign Language Films (In Alphabetical Order) BARBARA THE INTOUCHABLES THE KID WITH A BIKE NO WAR WITCH Top 5 Documentaries (In Alphabetical Order) AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY DETROPIA THE GATEKEEPERS THE INVISIBLE WAR ONLY THE YOUNG Top 10 Independent Films (In Alphabetical Order) ARBITRAGE BERNIE COMPLIANCE END OF WATCH HELLO I MUST BE GOING LITTLE BIRDS MOONRISE KINGDOM ON THE ROAD QUARTET SLEEPWALK WITH ME